Multifunctional nutrient supplement and a process for making

ABSTRACT

The present invention is a multifunctional nutrient supplement and a process for creating the supplement. The supplement comprises a mixture of lecithin,  ginkgo biloba  and wheat germ oil. The supplement is made with a five step formation process. The first step of the process uses CO 2  supercritical extraction to remove cholesterol, glyceride and fatty acids from an egg yolk. Wheat germ oil is then obtained from dried wheat germ using CO 2  supercritical extraction.  Gingko biloba  is then removed from  ginkgo  leaves using CO 2  supercritical extraction. The egg yolk/lecithin from the first extraction is then combined with the wheat germ oil from the second extraction. Ethanol is then added to the mixture of lecithin and wheat germ oil and low temperature vacuum distilled to create a lecithin and wheat germ oil mixture. The  ginkgo biloba  extract is then added to the lecithin/wheat germ oil mixture to create the nutrient supplement.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication Ser. No. 60/537,552, filed Jan. 21, 2004.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to processes for making nutritionalsupplements, and more particularly to a process for making amultifunctional nutrient supplement containing a mixture of lecithin,ginkgo biloba and wheat germ oil, and that aids in the prevention ofcardiovascular, liver and lung diseases, improves memory and increasesenergy levels.

2. Description of the Related Art

The individual nutrient value of lecithin, ginkgo biloba and wheat germoil has been widely recognized. The predominant type of compounds inlecithin is phospholipids. Muscles, vital organs like the liver, lungsand the reproductive track contain a high concentration ofphospholipids. On a dry weight basis, the brain contains 25 percentphospholipids. Phospholipids are also a major type of building blocks ofcellular membranes, which are very important for transport nutrients andwasters.

Ginkgo biloba has been shown to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatoryproperties. The principal constituents of ginkgo biloba extract includeflavanoids and terpenoids. The flavanoids protect the cell by reducingcell membrane lipid peroxidation. Terpenoids contribute toneuroprotective effects.

Wheat germ is an excellent source of Vitamin E, linoleic acid andlinolenic acid. Linoleic acid has demonstrated the ability to inhibitcancer growth and to inhibit obesity. Alpha-linolenic acid is used as asource of energy by the human body. It is also used to treat heartdisease and hypertension. Gamma-linolenic acid has been shown to beuseful in treating diabetes, osteoporosis, menopausal systems and PMS.

The following patent documents disclose nutritional supplements, andtheir formation processes, providing some of the above-mentionednutrients.

United Kingdom Patent Application No. GB 2 324 457 published on Oct. 28,1998 discloses a nutritional supplement containing a number of essentialoils. The supplement comprises a droplet of oils coated in anemulsifying agent such as lecithin.

United Kingdom Patent Application No. GB 2 043 425 published on Oct. 8,1980 discloses a daily nourishing supplement and a process for theproduction of the same. The nourishing supplement is a capsulecontaining freeze-dried hot water extract of Chlorella algae, at leasttwo extracts of garlic, ume, sinseng and aloe, lecithin, at least twovegetable oils and Vitamin E.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,503,529 issued on January 7, 2003 and U.S. Pat. No.6,291,533 issued on Sep. 18, 2001 to Fleischner, A. M. discloses dietarysupplements that are responsive to specific blood types. Certainsupplements contain lecithin and ginkgo biloba leaf extract.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,270,774 issued on Aug. 7, 2001 to Hsia et al. disclosesa nutritional supplement that is used to increase the levels of highdensity lipoprotein and calcium ions, and decrease levels of freeradicals and glucose in human blood plasma. The present inventionteaches novel nutritional supplements that comprise a novel combinationof specific antioxidants, barley grass extract, multiple vitamins andminerals, and ginkgo biloba extract. The present patent furtherdiscloses a method of preparing the supplement.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,224,871 issued on May 1, 2001 to Hastings et al.discloses a dietary supplement for nutritionally promoting healthy jointfunction. The major ingredient of the supplement is a protein derivedfrom the enzymatic hydrolysis of collagen. The supplement also includeslesser proportions of other ingredients including lecithin and ginkgobiloba.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,090,414 issued on Jul. 18, 2000 to Passwater et al.discloses a method and composition to reduce cancer incidence. Thecancer fighting composition provides wheat germ oil and lecithin.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,976,548 issued on Nov. 2, 1999 to Hsia et al. disclosesa nutritional supplement composition. The supplement is designed toincrease the levels of high density lipoprotein and calcium ions whiledecreasing levels of free radicals and glucose in human blood plasma.The nutritional supplement comprises a combination of naturallyoccurring substances such as vitamins and minerals, antioxidants, barleygrass extract and ginkgo biloba extract.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,891,465 issued on Apr. 6, 1999 and U.S. PatentApplication No. 2002/0048551 published on Apr. 25, 2002 to Keller et al.disclose a delivery of biologically active material in a liposomalformulation for administration into the mouth. The compositions ofbiologically active material are based on nutritional supplements thatare encapsulated in lipid vesicles for administration as an aerosol orliquid droplet spray. The compositions include a quantity of lecithin.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,569,458 issued on Oct. 29, 1996 to Greenberg, M.discloses a nutritional formula. The nutritional formula is a vitaminand mineral formulation that provides for improved absorption of itsnutrients by the addition of digestive enzymes to the formula. Theformula also includes goldenseal to prevent the enzymes from eating upthe other nutrients in the formula. The formula contains seventydifferent nutrients including ginkgo biloba.

U.S. Patent Application No. 2003/0008048 published on Jan. 9, 2003 forWinston et al. discloses methods and compositions for helping the bodyresist the effects of the aging process. The composition is a two partcomposition comprising a lipid-soluble portion in a soft gel cap and awater soluble portion in a hard shell capsule. The composition providesa plurality of nutrients including ginkgo biloba extract.

U.S. Patent Application No. 2001/0036468 published on Nov. 1, 2001 toHan et al. discloses a soft chewable multivitamin tablet comprisingseparated active ingredients. The multivitamin provides a plurality ofnutrients including ginkgo biloba and lecithin.

None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or incombination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Thusa multifunctional nutrient supplement solving the aforementionedproblems is desired.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a multifunctional nutrient supplement and aprocess for creating the supplement. The multifunctional nutrientsupplement generally comprises a mixture of lecithin, ginkgo biloba andwheat germ oil. The multifunctional nutrient supplement is made with afive step formation process. The first step of the process uses CO₂supercritical extraction to remove cholesterol, glyceride and fattyacids from an egg yolk to yield a quantity of lecithin. A quantity ofwheat germ oil is then obtained from a raw material of dried wheat germusing CO₂ supercritical extraction. A quantity of gingko biloba is thenremoved from ginkgo leaves using CO₂ supercritical extraction. The eggyolk/lecithin from the first extraction is then combined with the wheatgerm oil from the second extraction. Ethanol is then added to themixture of lecithin and wheat germ oil and low temperature vacuumdistilled to create a lecithin and wheat germ oil mixture. The ginkgobiloba extract is then added to the lecithin/wheat germ oil mixture tocreate the multifunctional nutrient supplement.

Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to provide aprocess for making a multifunctional nutrient supplement that keeps eachindividual active ingredient intact when extracted from the rawmaterials.

It is another object of the invention to provide a multifunctionalnutrient supplement that aids in the prevention of cardiovascular, liverand lung diseases.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a multifunctionalnutrient supplement that lowers low-density lipid levels.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a multifunctionalnutrient supplement that reduces the effects of hypertension.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a multifunctionalnutrient supplement that improves memory and energy levels.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide a multifunctionalnutrient supplement that relieves the effects of premenstrual syndrome(PMS).

Still a further object of the invention is to provide a multifunctionalnutrient supplement that gradually eliminates heavy vaginal discharge.

It is an object of the invention to provide improved elements andarrangements thereof for the purposes described which is inexpensive,dependable and fully effective in accomplishing its intended purposes.

These and other objects of the present invention will become readilyapparent upon further review of the following specification anddrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a process diagram for a process of making a multifunctionalnutrient supplement according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a process diagram for a CO₂ supercritical extraction process.

FIG. 3 is a process diagram for a vacuum distillation process.

Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistentlythroughout the attached drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention provides a multifunctional nutrient supplement anda method for making the supplement. The multifunctional nutrientsupplement provides a source of lecithin, ginkgo biloba and wheat germoil. The nutrient supplement is made from a five step formation process.The nutrient supplement formation process 10 is shown in FIG. 1. Thefirst step of the process 10 is to obtain the raw materials that providethe nutrients for the supplement. The raw materials comprise dried wheatgerm 12, egg yolk 14 and ginkgo leaves 16. Ideally the raw materialsshould be obtained within a specified time period for best results. Forinstance, the eggs should be no worse than one-year fresh; the gingkoleaves should be harvested in the fall season after the month of Octoberfrom a ginkgo tree being between the ages of three to five years; thewheat germ should be no worse than one-year fresh.

The next step is to use CO₂ supercritical extraction 18 to deriveextracts for each raw material component. CO₂ supercritical extractionremoves wheat germ oil from the dried wheat germ 12. CO₂ supercriticalextraction 18 is also used to remove cholesterol, glyceride and otherfatty acids from the egg yolk 14. Egg yolk 14 is used as the source forlecithin. Egg yolk 14 is a much better lecithin source than the commonlyused soybean if the cholesterol, glyceride and fatty acids are removedfrom the egg yolk 14. Supercritical extraction is again used to extractginkgo biloba from the ginkgo leaves 16.

The CO₂ supercritical extraction 18 process is shown in FIG. 2. The CO₂supercritical extraction 18 is the same process for all three rawmaterials so only a general discussion of the process is necessary.Preheated dried raw material is introduced into the three extractors 26a, 26 b and 26 c (One raw material is extracted at a time so all threeextractors 26 a, 26 b and 26 c contain the same raw material). Each ofthe three raw materials are extracted at specific pressures andtemperatures in the extractors 26 a, 26 b and 26 c.

A solvent, held inside of a solvent container 34, is introduced into theextractors 26 a, 26 b and 26 c by a solvent pump 32. Liquid CO₂ held inCO₂ container 28 is introduced into the extractors 26 a, 26 b and 26 cby a CO₂ pump 30. The liquid CO₂ is used for the extraction of wheatgerm oil but it is especially used for the extraction of Ginko Biloba bydissolving the ingredients in the leaves. The liquid CO₂ and the solventare passed through a liquid CO₂ heater 36 and are then introducedthrough the bottom of the extractors 26 a, 26 b and 26 c. The solvent isused to help extract polar components from the raw materials. Ifpolarity is not a problem during extraction, then a solvent is not used.According to certain preferred embodiments of the present invention thesolvent is used to extract the polar components from the ginkgo leaves.According to certain preferred embodiments of the present invention thesolvent used is ethanol.

The mixture of liquid CO₂ and the extracts from the raw materials thenpass through a first filter 38, an extract heater 40 and then a primaryseparator 42. Generally, to extract and separate the raw materials fromthe CO₂ phase, the pressure and temperature in the primary separator isreduced to 7 M Pa from the initial pressure and temperature in the theextractors 26 a, 26 b and 26 c. The primary extracts are obtained fromthe bottom of the primary separator 42. The remaining un-separated CO₂and raw material extracts are introduced into a second extract heater 44and then a secondary separator 46. Generally the secondary separator 46is used only when the ingredient concentration of the sample taken fromthe primary separator 42 is not in a correct range desired from rawmaterial extract. Thus the raw material passes into the secondaryseparator 46, having a pressure of 7 M Pa, whereby the remaining rawmaterial extracts are separated from the CO₂ phase. The secondaryextracts are obtained from the bottom of the secondary separator 46. Thegas CO₂ exits the top of the secondary separator 46 and passes through agas filter 48, a gas cooler 50 and a gas drier 52. The gas drier 52removes the moisture from the CO₂ gas. The dried CO₂ gas is cooledfurther by a second gas cooler 54 to change the phase of the CO₂ fromgas to liquid. The liquid CO₂ is then delivered to the CO₂ container 28where it is recycled back into the supercritical extraction process 18.

Once the wheat germ oil, the lecithin and the egg yolk are extractedfrom the raw materials they must be combined. The extracted egg yolk,containing lecithin, is combined with the extracted wheat germ oil.Ethanol is added to the mixture and it is placed into a vacuum distiller20. The wheat germ oil-egg yolk-ethanol mixture is low temperaturevacuum distilled to obtain a mixture of lecithin and wheat germ oil.

FIG. 3 depicts the vacuum distillation process. The wheat germ oil-eggyolk-ethanol mixture 56 is fed into a distillation container 60 througha feed inlet 58. The mixture 56 is stirred in the distillation container60 by a stirrer 62. Hot steam is continuously introduced to the outersurface of the distillation container 60, to heat up the mixture 56inside of the container 60. Heating up the mixture 56 causes the ethanolto evaporate. At the same time heat is being consumed so that the hotsteam turns into condensation water. The product mixture 66, which is amixture of wheat germ oil and extracted egg yolk, is removed from thedistillation container 60 through a product outlet 64. The evaporatedethanol is transferred to a condensation column 68. Cold water iscontinuously introduced to the outer surface of the condensation column68 to cool down the ethanol. Once the gaseous ethanol is cooled itchanges into liquid ethanol, which can be reused as a solvent in the CO₂supercritical extraction 18 process. As the ethanol is being cooled heatis gained so that the cold water that was used to cool the condensationcolumn becomes warm water. A vacuum pump 70 is used to power thedistillation process.

Once the distilled wheat germ oil-egg yolk mixture is obtained it isplaced into a mix tank 22, see FIG. 1. The extracted ginkgo biloba isthen added into the mix tank 22 and mixed with the wheat germ oil andegg yolk to form the nutrient supplement mixture 24.

The following specific example is indicative of the preferred nutrientsupplement and method of preparing the supplement according to certainpreferred embodiments of the present invention.

EXAMPLE 1

100 kilograms of dried, preheated wheat germ is introduced into theextractors 26 a, 26 b and 26 c at a pressure of 26 M Pa, 45° C. Theextraction proceeds for 3 hours. Once the primary mixture of extractedmaterial reaches the primary separator 42 the pressure is reduced to 7.0M Pa. After extraction, approximately 2.0-2.2 kilograms of yellowishwheat germ oil is obtained having a concentration of gamma-linolenicacid being between 5.5 and 8 wt % and a concentration of linoleic acidbeing between 55 to 58 wt %.

The egg yolks are dried and ground to a fine powder. 100 kilograms ofegg yolk powder is introduced into the extractors 26 a, 26 b and 26 c ata pressure of 30 M Pa, at 40° C. The extraction proceeds forapproximately 4-5 hours. The cholesterol, glyceride and fatty acidcomponents dissolve in the liquid CO₂ and are removed from the egg yolk.The egg yolk containing lecithin mixture is obtained from the bottom ofthe extractors 26 a, 26 b and 26 c. In this mixture the totalcomposition of cholesterols, glycerides and fatty acids is less than 0.1wt %. Phosphatidyl choline is no less than 18 wt %. Once the lecithincontaining egg yolk mixture reaches the primary separator 42 thepressure is reduced to 7.0 M pa.

The lecithin containing egg yolk mixture is then placed in an 800 Lcontainer. 240 kilograms of ethanol is added into the container andmixed for two hours. The lecithin dissolves in the ethanol. Solidimpurities are removed from the mixture by filtration.

The filtrated lecithin is then mixed with the extracted wheat germ oilin the distillation container 60. The ethanol is distilled out of thecontainer 60 at a temperature of 40° C. and a vacuum pressure of 0.05 MPa. The distilled ethanol is delivered to the condensation column 68.The mixture of lecithin and wheat germ oil is released from the bottomof the distillation container 60. In the resultant mixture thephosphatidyl choline should be more than 22 wt % and the ethanol shouldbe less than 0.2 wt %.

100 kilograms of shredded ginkgo leaves are introduced into theextractors 26 a, 26 b and 26 c at a pressure of 30 M Pa, at atemperature of 60° C. The extraction proceeds for 4 hours. The ginkgolicacid dissolves in the liquid CO₂ and is removed. This mixture removedfrom the bottom of the extractors 26 a, 26 b and 26 c and is then fedback into the extractors 26 a, 26 b and 26 c to proceed with theextraction process one more time at 28 M Pa and 55° C. Ethanol is pumpedinto the extractor through the solvent pump 32 to improve the extractionof the more polar components of the ginkgo mixture whereby undesiredingredients, ginkgolic acid, are gradually removed. This extractionproceeds for 2 hours. By reducing the pressure of the primary separatorto 7.0 M Pa, the ginkgo extracts are separated from the ethanol. Thecomposition of the ginkgo flavone and ginkgo terpine in the ginkgoextract is 26 wt % and 6 wt % respectively. After the first extractionstep, the ginkgolic acid is less than 5 ppm; after the second extractionstep, the ginkgolic acid in the final product is less than 1 ppm.

The ginkgo extracts mixture was then mixed with the lecithin and wheatgerm oil mixture and mixed well to produce the nutrient supplementmixture.

Table 1, below, lists the major components of the resulting nutrientsupplement according to certain preferred embodiments of the presentinvention. Table 1 also lists the possible weight percentage range ofeach component in the final product. TABLE 1 Component wt% lecithin20-35 phosphatidyl choline 12-14 ginkgo flavones 2.0-2.2 ginkgo terpines0.6-0.7 vitamin E 0.5-0.7 linoleic acid 18-33 linolenic acid 1.8-3.6

The anti-oxidant properties of vitamin E (in wheat germ oil) and theflavanoids (in ginkgo biloba) play a role to keep the active ingredientsof nutrient supplement intact.

It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to theembodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodimentswithin the scope of the following claims.

1. A multifunctional nutrient supplement made from a process comprisingthe steps of: obtaining a quantity of egg yolk, ginkgo leaves and driedwheat germ; using CO₂ supercritical extraction to remove cholesterol,glyceride and fatty acids from the egg yolk to produce an egg yolkextract; using CO₂ supercritical extraction to extract wheat germ oilfrom the dried wheat germ; using CO₂ supercritical extraction to extractginkgo biloba from the gingko leaves; combining the egg yolk extract andthe wheat germ oil in a distillation container; adding ethanol to thedistillation container and low-temperature vacuum distilling the eggyolk extract and wheat germ oil to produce a distilled mixture; andadding the ginkgo biloba extract to the distilled mixture and mixingthem together to produce a nutrient supplement comprising lecithin,ginkgo biloba and wheat germ oil.
 2. The method according to claim 1,wherein the quantity of egg yolk is obtained from eggs that should be noworse than one year fresh.
 3. The method according to claim 2, whereinthe egg yolks are dried and ground into a fine powder.
 4. The methodaccording to claim 1, wherein the quantity of ginkgo leaves should beharvested in the fall season after October from a ginkgo tree beingbetween the ages of three to five years.
 5. The method according toclaim 1, wherein the quantity of dried wheat germ is obtained from wheatgerm that should be no worse than one year fresh.
 6. The methodaccording to claim 1, wherein the egg yolk extract is conducted underextraction conditions occurring at a pressure of 30 M Pa and 40° C. 7.The method according to claim 6, wherein the egg yolk extract comprisesof cholesterol, glyceride and fatty acids being a total weight percentof less than 0.1%.
 8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the wheatgerm oil extract is conducted under extraction conditions occurring at apressure of 26 M Pa and 45° C.
 9. The method according to claim 8,wherein the wheat germ oil has a concentration of gamma-linolenic acidbeing between 5.5 and 8 wt %.
 10. The method according to claim 8,wherein the wheat germ oil has a concentration of linoleic acid beingbetween 55 to 58 wt %.
 11. The method according to claim 1, wherein theginkgo biloba extract is conducted under a first extraction havingconditions occurring at a pressure of 30 M Pa and 60° C.
 12. The methodaccording to claim 11, wherein the extract has a presence of ginkgolicacid being less than 5 ppm.
 13. The method according to claim 11,further comprising a second extraction conducted under conditionsoccurring at a pressure of 28 M Pa and 55° C.
 14. The method accordingto claim 13, wherein the extract has a presence of ginkgolic acid beingless than 1 ppm.
 15. The method according to claim 1, wherein a solventis pumped into the CO₂ supercritical extractor during the extraction ofginkgo biloba from the gingko leaves to help remove ginkgolic acid. 16.The method according to claim 15, wherein the solvent is ethanol. 17.The method according to claim 1, wherein the ginkgo extract has acomposition of 26 wt % of ginkgo flavone.
 18. The method according toclaim 1, wherein the ginkgo extract has a composition of 6 wt % ofginkgo terpine.
 19. A multifunctional nutrient supplement made accordingto the process of claim 1, wherein the weight percentage of each activeingredient in the nutrient supplement as determined under highperformance liquid chromatography are in the following approximateranges: Component wt% lecithin 20-35 phosphatidyl choline 12-14 ginkgoflavones 2.0-2.2 ginkgo terpines 0.6-0.7 Vitamin E 0.5-0.7 linoleic acid18-33 linolenic acid  1.8-3.6.


20. The multifunctional nutrient supplement according to claim 19,wherein the vitamin E and the ginkgo flavones play a role to keep theactive ingredients of nutrient supplement intact.